Gonsalves is the choice in L.D. 13

Posted
Thursday, October 31, 2013 11:26 am

Norma Gonsalves

The Herald encourages voters to return Norma Gonsalves to the 13th Legislative District seat, which she has held since 1998.

Don’t let her age deceive you: At 79, Gonsalves remains as active as they come, and is always quick to the scene when her services are required. She likes to deal with issues before they escalate, by organizing community meetings on short notice. Most important, she is admired and trusted by her constituents, who know they can rely on her in times of need.

Gonsalves, a Republican from East Meadow who became the Nassau County Legislature’s presiding officer late last year, when Peter Schmitt died suddenly, says she has brought a shift in tone in the Legislature by encouraging bipartisanship. While Nassau County is hardly a model of cross-party cooperation, we’ve noticed more communication and less quarreling in legislative sessions over the past year. We hope Gonsalves continues to lead that trend.

Her opponent, Ed Kraus, a firefighter from North Bellmore, is very bright, and seems to have a solid grasp of the pressing issues facing Nassau County. His youth — he’s just 31 — no doubt helps him better understand the needs of the district’s younger constituents. For example, to fix the county’s broken assessment system, he suggests that elected officials start at the bottom and explain to constituents exactly how the system works. It’s a mindset that all of our elected leaders should have.

We have no doubt that that Gonsalves’s stature in the Legislature, her experience and her wisdom make her the best person to continue to serve the needs of the 13th L.D., and we urge voters to re-elect her on Tuesday.

Sid Tanenbaum, who lived in Woodmere and owned a metal-stamping shop in Far Rockaway, where he was known more for his charitable ways than his two-handed set shot, has been honored for the past 30 years with a basketball tournament that raises scholarship money for students in the Five Towns.